


Tell me you love me

by wetbellamyblake



Category: The White Queen (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 18:08:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1657646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wetbellamyblake/pseuds/wetbellamyblake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three times Richard should say he loves Anne but cannot and one time Anne should say the same but she won't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tell me you love me

Richard looks at the chest in front of him.   
He takes several pieces of the gold into his hands and stares at them.   
Did Edward really think he could buy the honour?   
What about dignity?   
What about glory?   
Richard wanted to take England’s glory back but Edward only cared about the money.   
Money he could invest in whores and his wife.   
Richard doesn’t really look up when Anne comes into the room.   
His eyes are still on the chest and he barely hears her words.   
He thinks aloud. Maybe everyone is meant to be alone. He says it more to himself and looks up when Anne responds that they won’t be alone because they have each other.   
Richard looks into her eyes, he knows she’s waiting for him to approve, to say that he will never leave her alone, like he promised but the words don’t come out.   
Instead he turns his head away and leaves.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When he enters the church he can barely walk.   
His legs are heavy, they feel like cement and Richard gives in, bending his upper body.   
The next thing he feels is Anne’s presence.   
She’s standing in front of him.   
His eyes take a glance on the rosary in her hands, the one he gave her at their first wedding anniversary, shortly before their son Ned was born.   
Anne had been distressed because she couldn’t visit her sister because of George’s disapproval.   
George.   
His brother.   
He remembered how he wished George would be dead when he was trying to woo for Anne. Now he was.   
And everything was different.   
Everything felt wrong.   
Richard feels his head start to spin and he places a hand on Anne’s forearm to balance himself.  
He feels Anne’s hands at his face, her thumbs stroking over his cheeks and he looks up.   
Her face looks like the one of an angel, his angel, his sanctuary, his safe place.  
“Richard, do you love me? Truly?”, she asks and   
Richard cannot understand why she’s asking such a ridiculous question.   
Doesn’t she see that she’s everything secure he has left?  
He wants to scream at her, tell her that she’s blind, that she’s the only one left, that she’s his sanctuary, his safe place. That he loves her but the words don’t come out.  
Instead he says “Oh God, Anne.” and grabs her hand, kissing her wedding band. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Tudor. Tudor. Tudor.   
Everything that is on his mind is Tudor.   
This damned bastard.   
Richard couldn’t think of a reason why someone would ever support someone like him but they did.   
And they were getting more.  
Soon all that was in his head was not only Tudor, but how he could get the affinity off of him. Especially the York affinity the boy got with the prospect of marrying Elizabeth.  
Damn the Woodville woman.   
No one would take this woman away from him. She was his niece, at his court. Her father was his brother thus the affinity should be his! He was the loyal brother who only did what needed to be done.  
Elizabeth…  
He hated that name. He hated that the old Elizabeth was ruining his kingdom. He hated that the young Elizabeth looked at him like he was the only man in the world.  
But he couldn’t look away. He needs her. He sees her. She’s with her sister Cecily. They’re undressing Anne until the last one sends them away.  
Anne is furious. He knows it by how her hands are shaking. She says that she wants the Rivers girls to leave, because their boy is ill. Like it’s their fault.  
No, he needs to keep them safe with him, needs to keep Elizabeth by his side.  
Anne’s eyes are filling with tears and he turns away.  
He cannot see her crying, cannot see how his last piece of steadiness is slipping away from him.   
He knows there are only three words he needs to say. Three little words to assure Anne that she’s the only one and always will be. But he cannot say them; he should not need to say them.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

He killed their boy.   
Deep down Anne knows that it’s not true but for now it’s easier to pretend like he was cursed, than to accept he was just meant to go.  
Her own sight is blurred with tears she cannot see his eyes, his shocked face, his desperate attempt to reassure her otherwise.   
Everything is black. Black from the loss of her baby. Black from the rumours he’s not loving her anymore but the young, beautiful Elizabeth. A Woodville. Her brother-in-law Edward fell for one and now her Richard, too.   
She turns her head away. She cannot bear to let his tears come through this blackness.   
Deep down she loves him but she cannot say it.   
He was only too sure of it. He took it for granted.


End file.
